John D. Morley

John Morley is Augustus E. Lines Professor of Law at Yale Law School and a theorist of organization. He studies how the law encourages — and discourages — cooperation. His research has probed the foundations of a wide variety of businesses and social groups, including ordinary corporations, investment funds, trusts, law firms, customer cooperatives, mutual financial institutions, marriages, cities, states, and nations. 

Morley is active in shaping real-world organizations. He was the primary drafter of the Anthropic Long-Term Benefit Trust agreement and has served since the Trust’s founding in 2023 as its principal legal counsel. He regularly advises major companies and institutions on challenging problems in governance, including public benefit mission commitments, mutual ownership governance, and AI safety. He has testified as an expert witness in proceedings related to trusts, investment funds, and general corporate organization.

Morley has a special interest in the regulation and structure of investment funds. He has authored many articles on hedge funds, mutual funds, and private equity funds. He also has a focus on the law of trusts and estates. He served as the reporter for the Uniform Directed Trust Act, which has now been adopted by the legislatures of 22 states. 

Morley also writes and speaks frequently about the governance of law firms. With Joel Cohen, he co-hosts New Law Order, a popular podcast on the legal professioon.

He received undergraduate degrees in political science and economics from the University of Utah and his law degree from Yale Law School. Morley was born in his ancestral hometown of Ely, Nevada, and spent his childhood there and in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is married to Erin Morley, a professional opera singer, and has three children.